Gamers uncover a huge mistake in the basic programming of The Division, turning a stat that should help reduce damage taken into one that increases it, instead.

The Division is designed from the ground up to allow players to fully customize the way that they play the game. From choosing gear based on its stats to a player's base talents and skills, two players can play the same game in very different ways. However, one basic stat that's supposed to give players a serious advantage when taking on high-level enemies is apparently doing the complete opposite.

According to multiple Redditors, the Protection from Elites stat in The Division is painfully broken. The stat is designed to give players a percentage of damage reduction when they take hits from elite enemies, which are defined as enemies with yellow/gold health bars. These enemies become more common at higher-level missions and when replaying missions on hard or challenge difficulty to increase the odds of high-end drops, so choosing this stat should be a wise choice for any endgame player.

Unfortunately, the stat isn't providing the damage reduction that it promises, and is actually dramatically hindering players who choose to use it. According to the Redditors who have performed in-game tests and looked at the game's code, this stat is actually increasing the damage taken from elite enemies. In one test, a Redditor repeatedly measured the damage taken from the first enemy sniper in the Lincoln Tunnel Checkpoint mission. After testing it several times with and without a 11% Protection from Elites stat, he determined that he took more damage with the stat than without it each time.

This is the latest in blunders made by Massive in The Division, and gamers are anxious that it won't be fixed. While Massive has been quick to nerf drops and it has even threatened to punish players who use glitches, it hasn't been keeping up on fixing their mistakes that hurt regular players. This has led fans to feel betrayed, and left others angry about the exploits in The Division ruining the game.

It remains to be seen if Massive will get around to fixing this glitch, though chances are that even if it does, it won't release a hotfix but will instead implement it in the next major patch to the game. In the meantime, gamers should refrain from using any gear with Protection From Elites on it, unless they're specifically trying to make The Division more punishing than it already is.

The Division was one of the most anticipated games of 2016, but many gamers have been let down by Massive. The Incursion update didn't offer an intense raid-like experience like gamers had hoped for, and the game has a seemingly endless list of glitches, bugs, and exploits that have served to ruin the experience for gamers.

Gamers, does your build contain the Protection from Elites stat? Have you noticably taken more damage than your friends who don't use it? Let us know in the comments below.

Tom Clancy's The Division is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Reddit